Category Archives: Embalmed ones

The king of France is bald. What does this mean? Is it this? ∃x [KingOfFrance(x) ∧ ∀y [KingOfFrance(y) → x=y] ∧ Bald(x) Or maybe this? How about this? All of these depictions are useful. The translation of natural language into predicate calculus—pioneered … Continue reading →

As public transit riders know, for the past few years the Department of Homeland Security has promoted the slogan “If you see something, say something” on busses and trains. It’s about as effective as slogans get: short, memorable, and metrically … Continue reading →

I overheard a conversation on the bus back to Seattle between two adult Pokémon enthusiasts who were unabashed about their love for what most people consider a kids’ pastime. They were brainstorming about ways to add further layers of depth … Continue reading →

The other night on the bus heading back into Seattle a man took a seat up front near the driver. Fiftyish, white hair, casually dressed, and generally unremarkable looking. He gave the seat a once-over with alcohol wipes before he … Continue reading →

Metro Route 36 runs between downtown Seattle and the Othello train station, but I guess it used to stop before that at Jefferson Park on Beacon Hill because the readout on the front of the southbound busses used to read (and … Continue reading →

Yesterday morning I overhead a conversation between a Metro bus driver and a passenger sitting in one of the front seats. The driver was complaining about the wording of an error message produced by the automatic fare card reader. “Why … Continue reading →

There may be hope for King County Metro yet. Longtime Seattle resident Mrs. Nellie Murphy, who worked for many years as a fishmonger at Seattle’s Pike Place Market before returning to her native Dublin, came across my claim that the … Continue reading →